Liz Nice did the Bury St Edmunds wolf trail and now is challenging readers to see how quickly they can find them all.

The Wolf Trail in Bury had been calling to me for some time, writes Liz. Ever since I first spotted the ghostly white one grazing in St Mary’s churchyard.

Being a competitive sort, I downloaded my wolf map from the ourburystedmunds website, knowing I would not rest until I had found all 26 wolves on display in the town and entered the competition in which those who find every wolf have a chance to win ‘great prizes’.

Gregg, one of our photographers, was prevailed upon to go with me.

“How many are there?” he asked.

“Not many,” I lied.

The colour drained from his face when we met in town. “26 pictures of you and a wolf?” he said, grimly.

We began at the Theatre Royal, meeting a rather lonely, patchwork wolf (designed by Heidi McEvoy-Swift of Rojo Art) with a Tudor ruff around its neck and a lovely, velvety body. No one else was about as I stroked her. Slightly embarrassed, I posed for a snap and we moved on.

Next, the ghost wolf in St Mary’s who is made out of milk cartons - (also by Rojo Art). We arrived to find Mike and Rosalind from Elmswell.

‘We’re waiting for the grandchildren,’ Rosalind said quickly. Clearly, no adult (except me) would do the wolf trail just for herself!

Rosalind said that in Bristol they have Shaun the Sheeps and a stab of local pride shot through me. Wolves are so much better, aren’t they?

Next stop, the Norman Tower where I met councillor and former mayor Patricia Warby passing by.

We examined the Norman Tower wolf. He is designed by Steve Manning from Topiary Art Designs in Pakenham and made from jute. Behind him, near the St Edmund statue, was our next wolf, a proud metal creature whose tongue is much remarked upon, by Nigel Kaines.

“How about we get Patricia in this picture?” Gregg said.

Not bored of me already, surely?

The cathedral gave us two more wolves - and a surprise bonus. The first wolf was a video installation in the cloisters where we met Ainsley Buck from Stowmarket and his children Josie, 7, and Jake, 10. The video, called After Us, by Barbara Dougan, imagines a post apocalyptic world where humans and wolves co-exist. Josie and Jake loved it and Ainsley said, ‘this trail is fantastic!’, a view I was beginning to share (though not sure about Gregg.)

Inside the Cathedral itself, a gorgeous wiry wolf by West Suffolk College student Rosie Brown could be seen at the altar and a lovely ‘too shy to be named’ man who works there showed me two bonus wolves who sit either side of the bishop’s chair. No one else is going to get 28 wolves, I thought. I’m going to win this thing.

We headed to the Angel Hill wolf (by Elizabeth Cooke) where we met Rebecca, Zenya and George Banks from Bury. “We’re doing a few each time we’re in town,” said Rebecca. “We hope to get them all eventually.”

Gregg snapped them and missed me out of the picture completely for some reason, as he did at the Angel Hotel wolf (who takes a bit of finding). She and her pup are designed by Jenny Goater and, aptly, we met a lovely family there, from Bury, Matilda (Tilly) and Joe Mitcham (aged five and six) and their dad, Jon, who is ‘37!’ Joe announced. The Angel Hotel was their last wolf, they said. Rivals!

Inside the Abbey Gardens, we found five more wolves. Another Steve Manning by the entrance, a gorgeous Ben Loughrill by the ‘mosaic’ and another Elizabeth Cooke near the cafe where we met Dutch tourists Annette van der Linden and Hans Hagmeijer from Arnhem who had cycled to Bury from Harwich to stay with their friend Miranda Wheatley. I tried photobombing these pictures but Gregg said they didn’t come out.

The water garden provided another wolf, by Den Humphrey, then we had a bit of a job finding the ‘shadow’ wolf at the ‘shrine’ but were helped by the King family (Hazel and Roger from Lawshall, daughter Diana McGaley from Horringer, daughter Helen Foreman (who now lives in York) and grand-daughter, Charlotte.

The shadow wolf is my favourite, I said loudly as we walked through the Abbey Gate which was helpful because at that moment we ran into Nigel Kaines, the artist, who I persuaded to have his picture taken.

“I heard someone say the shrine wolf was ‘awesome’ the other day,” he said, with pride, though he denies waiting to hear what people say about his wolves on a regular basis!

We sneaked in another wolf (not actually a wolf at all but a book, also by Den Humphrey) at the Abbey Gate entrance, peered in the window of the council offices at the Esme Crick one in its granny blanket, then motored up Abbeygate Street to take in the Whiting Street wolf (by Sara Muzira) and the hand-print one by Michelle Freeman in the Traverse where I was mocked by some men who thought my efforts to look good next to it unsuccessful.

Moyse’s Hall’s wolf next (by Jon Messum), then the Cornhill’s (also by Michelle Freeman) by which point I was getting into my stride (though Gregg, in tight shoes, less so.)

We met a lovely family on St John’s Street: Georgie, Pete, Noah (6) and Phoebe Bateman (4) who loved the Duncan Riggall wolf there who looks like he is leaping out of the wall.

“It’s great how people are so happy to pose for pictures,” I said to Gregg only to find the ladies at the bus station near the next wolf (by Marie Roby) recoil from us as though we were paparazzi. ‘No pictures!’ they said so I was forced to step in.

On Risbygate Street we met Jack Doran-Gay, 7, from Elmswell (and his camera shy granny) at Trudi Edmunds’ wolf, then it was the home stretch. Gregg seemed relieved.

We found two in the Apex - one in the window by Theodore Ereira-Guyer (I didn’t fit in the picture, Gregg said), then our EADT sponsored one upstairs by Trudi Edmunds, made out of EADTs. Here we photographed Stephen Pretty from Bury who was ‘just mopping up’ the wolves he’d failed to do so far.

‘My favourite is the mosaic one (by Rojo Art) in Hanchett Square,” he said, where we found a lovely German lady, Silke David (who lives in Bury).

“Thank goodness I brushed my hair,” she said, as Gregg took her picture (strangely missing me out).

Just one more wolf to go and we found it at last, (another Steve Manning) very near to our EADT offices on Woolhall Street.

(I’m not telling you where they all are, or I won’t win the ‘great prizes’, will I?)

All in all it was a wonderful experience, though I later realised that the ghost wolf at St Mary’s, who inspired me to do the trail in the first place isn’t grazing at all, but has his head held high.

Funny, everyone seems to be doing the trail - but what do the wolves get up to when we’re not?

Send us your photos of you and the wolves and let us know how long it took you to complete the trail.